Former Caldwell HR director sues over alleged retaliation after police chief investigated
Caldwell’s former human resources director filed a lawsuit Thursday alleging she was retaliated against and lost her job after an investigation into the city’s police chief, Rex Ingram.
Shelli Boggie alleged in the lawsuit, which names the city of Caldwell and Mayor Jarom Wagoner, that an internal complaint was filed in January 2024 against Ingram.
Boggie investigated and then advised the city that it should hire an outside law firm to look into “gender discrimination and sex-based hostile workplace environment complaints,” the lawsuit said.
“The position was plaintiff Boggie’s dream job,” the lawsuit said. “As a result of defendants’ wrongful conduct, Ms. Boggie’s professional reputation has been adversely impacted and it has foreclosed other employment opportunities.”
A Caldwell city spokesperson did not return a request for comment Friday from the Idaho Statesman.
It’s unclear what exactly was in the January 2024 complaint referenced in Boggie’s lawsuit. Boggie’s lawsuit was first reported by KTVB.
However, Caldwell Police Officer Allison Butler recently filed a lawsuit accusing Ingram of “inappropriate, gender-based, sexual, possessive and retaliatory behavior,” according to previous Statesman reporting. Butler’s lawsuit is referenced in Boggie’s legal action.
Butler reported those allegations in January 2024. Last week, Wagoner asked the public to refrain from drawing conclusions.
“I would like to express our full support for Police Chief Ingram as he faces the recent lawsuit brought against him and the city,” Wagoner said at a brief press conference, but took no questions.
Aftermath of the investigation
The outside law firm’s final report following an investigation into Ingram said that “several” allegations were substantiated and “many” were unsubstantiated, Boggie’s lawsuit said.
In late March, Boggie issued a recommendation to Wagoner, the lawsuit said. The lawsuit does not say what the recommendation was.
However, the lawsuit alleged a deputy city attorney had an “inappropriately close” relationship with Ingram and the chief found out about the recommendation through that attorney.
Ultimately, Wagoner and the city attorney decided against her recommendation, the lawsuit said.
That same week, the deputy city attorney told Boggie that Ingram was having issues continuing to work alongside one of the witnesses interviewed during the investigation, the lawsuit said.
Wagoner and other police officials met in April without Boggie to talk about moving that witness to the records department, according to the lawsuit. Boggie was later told that the chief didn’t need the witness’s role anymore and that the records department was understaffed, according to court documents.
That month, Boggie received a positive performance evaluation, court documents said.
Then, police officials said Ingram wanted to fill the role of the witness who had been moved to the records department, the court documents said.
Boggie told the deputy city attorney that the move had been made under the pretext of no longer needing that witness’s role — which suggested the move “amounted to retaliation,” the lawsuit said.
Job in jeopardy
On May 2, Boggie visited Wagoner to give him her signed performance evaluation, the lawsuit said. But as she gave him the evaluation, Wagoner told her she likely wouldn’t be reappointed, according to court documents.
Boggie alleged that Wagoner said the issue stemmed from complaints from members of the city’s “Police and Fire” departments. A city council member who volunteers with the police department said he wouldn’t support her reappointment, the lawsuit said.
“The Mayor further explained that he was uncertain about other Council members, but that Council members (Diana) Register, (Brad) Doty, (Chuck Stadick), and (Chris) Allgood typically voted pro-police — suggesting that the fact would now be a problem for Ms. Boggie’s prospect at being reappointed,” the lawsuit said.
At a later meeting, Boggie told the mayor she felt she was being retaliated against, court documents said. Wagoner suggested there was a personality problem between Boggie and Ingram and that she hadn’t sent appropriate well-wishes after Ingram sustained an injury, the lawsuit said.
“The Mayor’s suggestion that the cause of Ms. Boggie’s employment jeopardy was that she was not showing sufficient niceties to the Chief was coy, absurd, and pretextual,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit also took issue with how the human resources department was allegedly left out of a police personnel matter.
Spending concerns
Boggie also told the mayor she was concerned about the chief’s spending, according to the lawsuit, but neither the finance director nor the treasurer was contacted by outside investigators.
The Idaho State Police is investigating Ingram for his spending, according to previous Statesman reporting. An officer previously sued after he said he was fired for questioning Ingram’s conduct.
The Idaho State Police told the Statesman earlier this month that the investigation was pending review by an outside prosecutor.
On Aug. 19, Boggie’s lawsuit said, Wagoner sent her his final decision not to offer her name for reappointment.
In the lawsuit, Boggie alleged wrongful termination, deprivation of property and liberty interest without due process, deprivation of First Amendment rights and retaliation. Boggie is asking for back pay, lost wages and benefits, plus damages.
Also named in the lawsuit are unidentified city officials and employees.
